Hey guys i'm in the market for a new router. I'd prefer it have four 10/100 ports or 10/100/1000 for intranetwork transfers, which we do a lot of. We have a PS3, an XBOX360, two desktops, a laptop and soon to hopefully have an NAS/File server connected. I'd like it to have N capability for range throgought the apartment, unless you think that isn't necessary. I'd also like to be EXTREMELY reliable and fairly easy to load the 3rd party software on there. Offering networked printing from the router is a plus but W7 and Vista make that pretty easy so it's not a must. I really don't want to spend a whole lot. Definitely not over 100USD (more like 50 - 70). It will be connected to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem pullilng down 50Mbps and that number could possibly go up in a short time.

Uses: Gaming, school work (ssh,p2p), web browsing, file sharing (NAS/File server - maybe in the future because we may use local storage for the time being. Mostly I just want the thing to be reliable. I've a decent D-Link one for a while now but i'd like to get into something with some more features and capabilities.

I'm currently using a DGL-4300 and it seems to be quite finicky these days. Drop outs, inconsistent rates, etc.

Q: In your opinion, does it need to be N? I wasn't quite sure about this. There is only one N adapter in the house but I had to mention it. I just wanted the range (even though I know the G adapters may not take any or full advantage of that range.

Personally, I wouldn't get a non-gigabit router. Its hard finding devices that can't take advantage of the speed. As for getting one that is n- compatible, my question would be do you have any devices that can use it? Or any devices that require a/b? If not, as long as it will do g/n, why not? Were I in the market today, I'd make sure it was 10/100/1000 and g/n. Aftermarket FW would then narrow it down some more. I usually like Linksys, but I'm not married to them.

Both good options. Let me narrow it down a bit. Does NOT have to have N, just wanted for future. Everything in the house is G. I'd like it to have decent range though. I know that there are a lot of parameters there that i can not battle with, but i try. It doesn't have to have 3rd party pre loaded, but that's a nice though. And now that I think about it and hear about it, i probably would like 4 10/100/1000 ports. Anything else I should be looking for?

I don't know much about the bands. We have cell phones in the house but not much other interference that I know of. (one GSM one CMDA if it matters) I don't know if i need dual band. Truthfully, it only needs G. As long as the G works well, that's all I need. SO there we have it. Any suggestions other than the other two based on the more refined params?

I do like both the options you have suggested though. Are internal antennas as reliable as external antennas? Also, if we could, could we keep the price closer to 50 - 75 than 100 bones? Sorry to be so picky.

It *ships* with DD-WRT (a custom version by Buffalo, but it works) and has a fast processor in it.

The Asus router previously mentioned has a pretty good reputation (not sure about long-term reliability), but I've never used one. Specs are good, though.

Also, I haven't looked at any benchmarks at all, but I would think a sub-$100 consumer router might have trouble pushing a 50Mbit WAN connection. But, I guess you never know these days.

I also have the Netgear WNDR3700-100NAS, and I've been very happy with it (fast AND stable), but as far as I know it doesn't run 3rd party firmware, and it's well over $100, so it's probably out for you. But, I really like mine, so I always toss it in as a suggestion.

I would highly recommend getting a separate gigabit switch and so remove that need from the router. Also, if you're not planning on getting a dual-band -n card anytime soon, just go with a cheap -g and save the money so that in a couple years you can upgrade to a good -n router when you have -n devices.

Dieter wrote:I also have the Netgear WNDR3700-100NAS, and I've been very happy with it (fast AND stable), but as far as I know it doesn't run 3rd party firmware, and it's well over $100, so it's probably out for you. But, I really like mine, so I always toss it in as a suggestion.

Some folks seemed to be able to put DD-WRT on it. The expensive points of this one are the dual band N and multiple SSIDs (i.e. guest network) support.

I'll throw the WNR3500L to the mix as well. You can look at the other thread for more information.

Usacomp2k3 wrote:I would highly recommend getting a separate gigabit switch and so remove that need from the router. Also, if you're not planning on getting a dual-band -n card anytime soon, just go with a cheap -g and save the money so that in a couple years you can upgrade to a good -n router when you have -n devices.

With N router with a gigabit switch down to around ~$80, I question the cost argument here.

The Model M is not for the faint of heart. You either like them or hate them.